The present invention refers to a manipulation and printing device and a method for labels fed from label sheets.
In the field of product labelling, various techniques are used for the feeding of the labels and their positioning on the product, in relation with the user's specific need and the particular nature of the label. Indeed, beyond having to respect the typology and the position of a label on a product, in relation with the particular current postal regulations in a certain Country, the “birth” of the label may be different in relation with the user's need.
Indeed it should be taken into consideration that there are presently known labellers which reveal the single labels one after the other, for example pre-printed on a label sheet, and apply them one after the other on the single product, fed and destined for packaging, or on which label only the address or other specific indication must be placed.
In this particular typology, the operation steps of a known labeller may be summarised in the following manner.
The labels 15, as said, are arranged on a continuous sheet 12, such as a label sheet equipped with opposing side edges 11 with drive holes 13, which is initially whole and folded as an accordion or in a zigzag manner on itself into various faces. On the label sheet 12 there are identified a series of printed portions 14 which will realise the various labels 15.
A wheel feed system with pins (not shown) engaged on the side edges 11 of the label sheet 12, equipped with holes 13, and therefore the label sheet 12 advances on a horizontal plane so that the writing 14 printed on the various label portions 15 are turned downward, as is schematised in FIGS. 1 and 2.
The label sheet 12 is cut and subdivided by longitudinal and transverse knives and reduced into rows 16 of a certain number of labels 15.
The rows 16 of labels 15 are taken up by a holed, suction (not shown) transport belt which accompanies them on a wheel of drawing and deposit (not shown) on the product 17, to which they must be associated.
Then, from the wheel, the labels 15 are individually drawn one after the other and brought into contact with a neck plug (not shown). Subsequently they are released on the product 17 in transit in the plane of the packaging machine or in the plane of application of the label bearing the address.
In such a manner the labels 15 are arranged in position perpendicular to a heading title 10 (FIG. 1), i.e. not conforming to the particular postal regulations which impose the mentioned parallelism between heading title 10 and label with address 15. To overcome this drawback a rotation of 90° may be realised of the label 15 before its deposition on the product 17 (FIG. 2) parallel to the heading title 10.
In any case, until today, it is not possible to have a machine which permits a realisation according to the requirements of the specific label, also individually different from that preceding, directly before the application on the product. Indeed, there is the need of the printing of the label sheet which limits the possibility of sudden variation or impedes a possible label correction, if during the operation the presence is revealed of a printing error therein.
It is therefore easily comprehensible that all this strongly compromises the productive capabilities of the label and address application machine, for example associated with a packaging machine, and imposes additional costs for the elimination of non-conforming products or the shutdown of the entire device, with serious production damages.
A further problem arises when label productions must be had in small series, for which the realisation of pre-printed label sheets would lead to an inadmissible increase in costs, i.e. with continuous substitution of the same with down times and loss of productivity.
Principal object of the present invention is therefore that of providing a solution to the abovementioned technical problems and drawbacks.
A further object is that to possibly realise a labeller which permits a variety of label realisations, in relation to the user's need, without having a shutdown or a particularly complicated device, difficult to use and with the necessity of also costly regulation.
Still a further object of the present invention is to resolve the problem of the small productions with reduced costs.
Still another object of the present invention is to be able to use component equipment of low cost and particularly simple to use.